The newly formed 'Hero MotoSports Team Rally' will make its debut at the Merzouga Rally in Morocco later this month, a Dakar series race, the country's largest two-wheeler player said in a statement.

"In the recent past, we have rapidly expanded our global footprint and also made significant investments in enhancing our R&D capabilities. Motorsport is a natural progression for us, as it will allow us to bring value-added products with top-of-the-line technology for our millions of customers," Hero MotoCorp chairman, managing director and CEO Pawan Munjal said.

The Hero MotoSports Team Rally will be riding on the upgraded version of the successful Speedbrain 450 rally bike. The Merzouga Rally will be held from May 21 to May 27. The team will also assist in development and testing of new Hero vehicles concepts, using the data collected from the races.